Songs with Friends – Music 4 Penguins

Music For Penguins is a mix that I made quite a while ago, and then lost track of for some insignificant reason or another.  However, because of a recent increase in productivity and free-time, I’m going to upload it.  The songs are not all current, but they are all songs, I assure you of this.  This mix is made for walking, socializing, caring, swimming, and most importantly sharing.  I feel that penguins embody these Ideas quite readily, and hence, Music 4 Penguins.  The mix begins whisper soft, (quite literally) and crescendo’s in the middle portion and then fades off with an easy-going finale.  This is one of the more varied mixtapes I’ve made in terms of time period of the release of these songs.  However, they all fit into a certain portion of my brain set aside for pleasant and nice songs.  The subject matter is not always positive, but the execution is typically smooth.  If you’re looking for music to listen to while you spring clean, or go for a hike, or sail through some daydreams, this is all you need.

Tracklist after the Jump

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Brain Salad – November

Brain Salad – November

**Click to Download**

“Whenever the first leaves would fall, back when I was a child, I would began to count down the moments until there were enough to gather.  The amount wasn’t anything specific, more like an estimation of how big the pile would have to be to break my fall.  Just beyond the worn away patch of dirt in the lawn, I would corral the leaves.  Always careful to try and filter out any twigs or other debris that could later become dangerous.  The old rope swing stayed up year round, but some seasons were favorable.  You never knew for sure if it was a good cushion until you tried it.  So once I felt I had an adequate collection I would back up as far as I could go.  Running and leaping with a mighty push, I would launch into the brisk air.”

-Danny Glover

**Tracklist**

1. Pillow Talk – Wild Child
2. One Thing – Peter and Kerry
3. The Ballad of Speck and Pebble – Delicate Steve
4. Up Up Up – Givers
5. Settle Down – Kimbra
6. Australia – Conner Youngblood
7. Time Spent in Los Angeles – Dawes
8. Cannons – Youth Lagoon
9. Money – The Drums
10. Champagne Coast – Blood Orange
11. Death by Accident – Halloween, Alaska
12. Call it Off – Washed Out
13. DIY – Keep Shelly in Athens
14. Colours (Remix) – DJ21azy
15. Ohio – Justice

King Creosote and Jon Hopkins

Sometimes music comes along that just has too much flavor for me to share it with anyone right away.  I get nervous that I’m enjoying these sounds just because of how unique it is, instead of it simply just being good music.  Its almost that I feel like I might be getting tricked by a facade of production tricks or gypsy magic that makes me THINK that the music is good, as opposed to knowing for sure.  Upon first listen of Diamond Mine from King Creosote & Jon Hopkins, I was enamored by the richness of the backing tracks (Jon Hopkins) and the vocals (King Creosote).  First off, I’m a sucka for vocalists with blatant accents, and King Creosotes Scottish* drawl plays right into that weakness.  The first track that caught my attention was “John Taylor’s Month Away” which is a slowly building track that swells up to large wide sounds and eventually fades into a soundscape beautifully orchestrated by Jon Hopkins.  This album was reported as a project that was “a culmination of about seven weeks of work spread over seven years of recording and collaboration” which really shows in the final project.  I feel like this started as a dream between the two of them to work with a musician that they respected and because they both had a unique vision for the project, it ended up being such a masterpiece.  The standout track on Diamond Mine for me would definitely be “Bubble”, which features Hopkins knack for minimalist percussion and other droning chords that create such a lovely backdrop for the harmonizations of the the vocals.  The final product is quite the enchanting adventure, and they managed to capture that with an AMAZING music video.  Check out the video and other quality tracks below.

“Bubble”

“John Taylor’s Month Away”

“Bats in the Attic (unravelled)”

Check out their concert from the Tiny Desk Series from NPR to see how it all happens.

Thanks and enjoy and thanks. xx

New Avett Brothers Song – “The Once and Future Carpenter” + Video

Hey Ya’ll, nothing warms me up more than new material from one of my favorite bands.  We’ve recently been graced with new content from Mumford (Sister and “Home”).  Well, here’s a new track from our dearly beloved Seth and Scott (and Joe and Bob), titled “The Once and Future Carpenter” premiered on CMT’s Unplugged.

The Avett Brothers have spent the year recording their follow-up to 2009 major label debut I and Love and You with producer Rick Rubin. And while no release date has been announced for the disc, the boys are jonesing to debut their new material. On an episode of CMT’s Unplugged, the North Carolina trio unveiled the strummy new track “The Once and Future Carpenter,” which you can watch here.